Romney's next ad aimed at women

By Alexander Burns

09/18/12 06:03 AM EDT

Mitt Romney has tried on and off throughout the general election to argue that Barack Obama's policies have been especially bad for women, specifically, as a way of trying to offset the president's advantage with female voters.

His new ad today, "Dear Daughter," is a prime example. It shows a woman holding a baby -- a baby, the narrator tells us, who is going to be badly burdened with debt thanks to Obama.

"Dear Daughter, welcome to America. Your share of Obama’s debt is over $50,000 and it grows every day," the ad says. "More women are unemployed under President Obama. More than 5.5 million women can’t find work. That’s what Obama’s policies have done for women. Welcome, daughter."

The ad is part of a flurry of commercials released by the Romney campaign now that it has full access to general-election campaign money. The ad is a tactical test of Romney's theory that in the end, the economy is the issue that trumps all -- rather than a topic that can be overshadowed by abortion or education or anything else.